The Top 5 Worst Skin Care Mistakes

September 7, 2009

In my 20+ years as an esthetician and working with skin, I’ve heard it all and have seen it all. Here is my list of the worst things you can do to your skin—that you’ll definitely later regret. So please follow my expert skin care advice!

1. A pierced nose is a large pore for life! Don’t do it!

Many teens and 20-somethings love this trend, but at some point, you’ll get tired of it or your career won’t allow it. And now you’re left with an extra large pore that’s impossible to close. It’s bad enough we all have large pores anyways, so intentionally making yourself one?

2. Picking at your skin—the wrong way.

I do believe there is a right way and a wrong way to “pick” at a blemish, although most skin care professionals will say you should never touch your skin. But let’s face it. Who wants to be walking around with a whitehead on their skin? Gross! But you need to know the right way to handle a blemish once you get one. Here’s my advice to heal acne blemishes fast!…

3. Washing your skin with bar soap.

If you wash your skin with a bar of soap (no matter how much you paid for it), you immediately strip your skin of all its water which instantly creates dead skin cell buildup. Then you have to quickly put moisturizer on to put back exactly what you just took out—makes no sense! The binders that hold a bar of soap together have a high pH balance making it too drying for most skin types. But they they also reverse the benefits from any exfoliants that you’re using (AHA’s, BHA’s and facial scrubs) since those are intended to remove dry skin cells. Bar soaps are a no-no, so look for mild, sulfate-free, soap-free gel cleansers

4. Not wearing sunscreen in your daily moisturizer.

The #1 cause of wrinkles is sun exposure. Period. But you need to realize that you get UV damage when you’re driving in your car, working in an office near windows, and certainly walking down the street. So wearing moisturizer with a sunscreen 365 days a year, rain or shine, inside or out is a must. And the earlier you start, the better! But here’s the deal. For those with oily skin and prone to acne breakouts, you need to apply it generously—a little dab will not do ya! The best lightweight, non-pore clogging sunscreens should contain at least 6% Zinc Oxide. So find one you love and wear it daily. Your skin will thank you for it! We love Renée Rouleau Daily Protection SPF 30 with 7% Zinc Oxide.

5. Not using an alcohol-free toner after every washing.

Toners are misunderstood. Most people aren’t really sure what they do and they often don’t use them because the alcohol is irritating. Toners without alcohol are a perfect way to give your skin the water and hydration it so desperately needs. Your skin cells are like fish. They need water to live and without water they die prematurely resulting in unhealthy skin—not to mention dry skin cells. Use an alcohol-free toner every time after you wash, but make sure to leave it damp before applying your serum or moisturizer to seal in the hydration. All of the Renée Rouleau toners are alcohol-free.

Content found on Blog.ReneeRouleau.com, including: text, images, audio, or other formats were created for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this blog.

Comments:

Ms. Rouleau,
I just want to say thank you so much for your amazing beauty advice! I love this website.. I use some of your products, but I think it’s great that your website is informational too, and explains how to take care of your skin regardless of what line of products you may have. You give practical advice and explain what to look for, in terms of ingredients, and how the products should be used, which is so helpful. There is so much contradictory information out there. It can be confusing and overwhelming reading the plethora of skin-care advice from anonymous experts in magazines, but then sometimes a visit to your own dermatologist doesn’t give you the practical advice you need to take care of your skin, and you are left with more products and questions than answers. I turn to you! I appreciate reading your simple, paired down, explanatory guide for different skin types, and the reasons why certain things are beneficial for different people. To me, your website makes so much sense, and I understand my skin better when I read it. It’s a breath of fresh air in a culture where we are bombarded by thousands of products but don’t have enough knowledge about them. Thanks for explaining it all, and be honest and helpful, it definitely makes me want to stay loyal to your brand. I get the impression you are truly passionate about helping people feel and look good!
Thank You

Thank you so much for your very sweet comments. I am so glad you find such value in the advice that I offer. It is my goal to share my 20 years of skin care experience with others to make them smarter consumers so they can make educated decisions when it comes to caring for their skin. I’ve got lots more information to share!

Renee- I have been using your products for over a year now and I really love them. Also, I love my bi-monthly facials with Sandy! I have 1 question- Should I rotate my serums from week to week? I have Glycolic 10%, Skin Drink and Intensive Firming Serum. Any suggestions on how to rotate them? Thanks- Carol

Next week- I would use the Intensive Firming Serum every night during that week on your neck, but then I would alternate every night going back and forth between the Intensive and the Skin Drink for that week. In winter, you can use the Intensive every night during that week since chances are, your skin is drier.

I am a newcomer to your skin care line and I have yet to buy any of your products but I do want to, but I’ve been trying out so many products from Sephora for my dark spots and scars on my face that I’m a bit leery about trying new stuff out. Plus I wanted to ask you if using one product out of your line instead of the recommended set- the one product would not be enough would it? Like I want to try the Triple Berry Smoothing Peel but I’m not sure that if I don’t use it in conjunction with your other products that it won’t work as well. Please help!

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Renée Rouleau is a celebrity esthetician with 25 years of experience. Early on, Renée recognized that every person's skin is unique; however, the skin care industry mostly relied on a one-size-fits-all approach to skin care.

So Renée began formulating her own line of products based on nine distinct skin types to ensure her clients achieved the results they desired. Healthy, beautiful and glowing skin. Welcome to Renée Rouleau.